Railroad-crossing gate



Bec 25, w23. L478A46 H. McNlsl-l RAILROAD CROSSING GATE Filed Sept. 16. 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Dec. 25, '11923. L478=6 H. MCNISH RAILROAD CROSS ING GATE Filed' sept. le. 1922 -:e sheets-sheet 2 Patented Dec.. 25, i923.

helada@ HARVEY MCNISH, 0F ATTICA, KANSAS.

RAILROAD-CROSSING GATE.

Application led September 16, v1992. SerialNo. 588,575.'

. To all whom it may cof/wem:

VBe it known that I, HARVEY MoNIsH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Attica, in the county of Harper and` State of Kansas, have invented new and useful Improvements in Railroad-Crossing Gates, of which the following is a specification.

1n carrying out the present inventiony it is my purpose to provide a railroad crossing gate which may be used at the intersection of a railway with a highway and which will be under the control of the train approaching the crossing, so that as the train approaches the crossing the gate will be closed, while when the train leaves the crossing the gate will be opened, thereby holding up traiiic while the train approaches the crossing, but permitting such traffic to pass over the railway track after the train has left the crossing.

lt is also my purpose to improve and simplify the general construction of automatic railway gates and to provide an automatie gate and operating mechanism therefor which will embrace the desired features of simplicity, efficiency and durability, which will be positive and reliable in operation and which will embody-comparatively few parts, and these so arranged and corelated as to reduce the possibility of derangement to a minimum.

vWith the above recited objects in view, and others of a similar nature, the invention resides in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts set forth in and falling within the scope of the appended claims.

Vln the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation showing my improved gate installed at the intersection of a railroad and a highway.

Figure 2 is an enlarged side elevation of the automatic gate, parts being shown in section.

Figure 3 is a top plan view showing the gate installed.

Figure 4 is a diagrammatic view showing the circuit connections.

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view the line 5-5 of Figure 2. l

-Referringnow to the drawings in detail, designates a highway and B a railroad traclr intersecting the highway A.. U

Arranged at the sidesy of the railroad traclz and adjacent to one Vedgeof the highwayare automatic gates Cf-C normally in open position, unobstructing the highway, so that traffic may move over the highway and adapted to vbe projected across the `highway when a train approaches the crossing, so that traffic upon the highway across the railroad track will be held up untilfthe train has passed. Y Each gate comprises a longitudinal casing 1 embedded in the highway and extending across the same. 1n the present instance the casing 1 is substantially rectangular in cross section and has its upper side open and integral with the casing l at one side of the highway and upstanding from such casing is a housing 2, while integral with the casing at the other end thereof and eX- tending upwardly therefrom is a housing 3. The housing 2 is relatively long and narrow and is arranged at right angles to the highway, as clearly shown in Figure 2 of the drawings, while the housing 3 is comparatively small and substantially rectangular in cross section. i

Mounted within the housing 2 and capable of longitudinal sliding movement out of and into the casing 2, in order to obstruct and open the highway, is a gate 4 formed, in the present instance, with a substantially rectangular frame 5 and a panel 6 of wire mesh carried by the frame. ntegral with the lower member of the frame 5 of the gate and extending across the highway within the casing 1 is a bar 7, the lower edge of which is flush with the lower edge of the bottom bar of the frame 5. The end of the bar 7 remote from the lcasing 2 extends through the lower end of the casing 3l and the bottom edge of the lower bar ofthe frame 5 and the contiguous portion of the bar 7 are formed with rack vteeth 8 with which meshes a pinion 9 journaled upon a shaft 10 carried by the casing 1, while formed on the upper edge of the bar 7 within the casing 3 are rack teeth llcthat mesh with a mutilated gear 12 journaled upon a shaft 13 carried in the lower end of the casing 3.

Pivoted to the upper end of the housing 3 isa channeled keeper 14 normally Vlying In order to swin the keeper 14 to horizontal position the s aft by which the keeper is pivoted to the upper end of the 'casing 3 is equipped with a beveled pinion 15 that meshes with a similar pinion 1 6 on the upper end of a vertical shaft 17 that is journaled inthe casing 3. On the lower end of the shaft'17 is a beveled pinion 18 that meshes with a' similar pinion 19 on the shaft 13 that carries the mutilated gear 12.v Thus, when the gear 12 is rotated in one direction, motion will be transmitted tothe shaft 17 to raise the keeper 14 from the position shown by the full lines in Figure 2 to the position shown in the dotted lines. 'When the. direction of rotation of the gear 12 is reversed, a reverse motion is transmitted to the shaft 17, so as to lower the keeper.

The shaft 19y carries a worm wheel that meshes with a worm 20 on the shaft 21 that ,is driven by an electric motor 22 and the lower edge of the bar 7 rests upon guide rollers 23 carriedV by the casing 1, while the rack bar 8 rests upon guide rollers 24 in the shape of pinions also carried by the casing 1. a A

In practice, when the motor 22 is energized, motion is ktransmitted to the pinion 9, thereby sliding the bar 7 and the gate 4. In the initialmovement of the bar 7 the mutilated gear 12 is rotated by the rack teeth 11, so as to rotate the shaft 13 to an angle Vof 9GC inorder to swing the keeper 14 to horizontal position, and when the keeper reaches its horizontal position the mutilated portion of the gear 12 slides upon the smooth edge of the bar 7, thereby hold- ,ing the keeper in horizontal position. As

the pinion 9 continues to turn the gatek4 is projected across the roadway andthe upper edge of the frame of the gate engages l inthe keeper 14, therebyeffeetively obstruct-- ing the highway, so as to prevent trafiic from crossingthe railroad.

'Ih-e motor 22 is of the rever-sible type,

and when the direction of rotation of theV f motor is reversed the gate is moved into the .housing y2, so as yto open the highway, and as the gate nears the limit of its movement intothe housing 2 the rackteeth l11.

againY engage the pinion 12, so as to reverse I the shaft 17. inV order to lower the keeper,

r1I`hus,tthe highway isfree and unobstructed to traffic. H

In order to energize the motor 22 automatically as the train approaches the crossing, so thatthegate willbeprojected across the highway and to reverseV the direction of rotation :after the train has left the crossing, I employ' the following means; Ar-

ranged' within'the casing 1 is a reversible switch 25 that isv connected incircuit with the `motor 22 and connected tothe lever 26 ofthe reversing switch 25 is one end 'of' a rod 27. The other end of the rod 27 is formed. lwith a lug 28 and arranged in the path of movement are pins 29 and 3O`Xed to the bottom bar of the fra-me 5 of the gate When the lgate isin closed position the pin `29 engages the lug 28, so as to move thereversing switch to one position, while whenthe vgate is in closed position the pin switch 32 closed, while when the .pin 30V actuatestheV reversing switch in the opening `movement ofthe gate, the switch 33 will be closed and the switch 32 opened. 34 designates a suitable source'of electrical energy, such, for instance, as a battery, and one terminal of the battery connects Vbya wire 35 with one side of the reversing switch 25, while the other side of the reversingswitc'h 25 is connected by means of branch conductors 36 with the blades of the switches 32v and 33, as clearly shown in Figure 4 of the drawings. The contacts `of the switches 32 and 33 vare connected respectively by Vmeans of conductors 37 and 38 with the stationary contacts of circuit closers 39 and 40V located .at the approach to the crossing and beyond the crossing. The movable contacts. of the circuit closers 39 and 40 are connected by'means of a coinmon conductor 41 with the. other side of the battery 34. Connected in each conductor 37 and 38 Vis a holding magnet 42 that con- Vtrolsan armature 43 which isno'rmally, held in inactive position by a spring 44 andv is adapted to-engage the contact 45when the magnet is energized. The contact 45 fis connected in the `,particular conductor 3 7 or 38 between the holding magnet 42 and the .stationaryV contact ofthe circuit closers 39-40, while theV armature 43 is connected tothe common conductor 41 .betweenthe'battli'y,` 34 vand thecircuitvclosers 3940, as clearly switch 32, conductor 37, magnet 42 in such conductor 37 and back to the otherside Vof the battery 34V through thecircuit closer '39., Asthe current flows through this established circuit the magnet 42 fis energized, thereby energized to closethe gate, irrespective "ofVV navegas the constant opening and closing of the circuit closer 39 incident to the passage of the wheels of the train thereover. When the gate reaches its closed position the pin 30 engages the leg 28 and swings the reversing switch 25 to its other position and breaks the established circuit through the switch 32 and in the opening of the switch 32 the switch 33 is close-d, so that as the wheels of the train leaving the crossing engage the circuit closer 40, the circuit will be closed through the motor to operate the latter in the reverse direction to open the gate. When this circuit is closed the magnet 42 is energized, so as to maintain the circuit around the circuit closer 40, in order that the gate may be resto-red to open position, and when the gate reaches open position the pin29 restores the reversing switch and the switches 32 and 33 to normal position.

I have entered into a detailed description of the construction and relative arrange" ment of parts embraced in the present and preferred embodiment of my invention with a view to imparting a full, clear and eXact understanding of the said embodiment. I do not desire, however, to be understood as confining myself to the said specific construction and relative arrangement of parts, inasmuch as in the future practice of my invention such changes or modifications may be made as fairly fall within the scope of my invention as defined by my appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, is

l. In a railway crossing gate, a casing extending across the hi hway and embedded in the latter parallel with the railway tracks, a housing on one end of said casing, a gate within said housing movable across the highway, a vertical housing on the other end of said casing at the other side of the highway, a keeper pivoted to the upper end of said second named housing, and means for moving said keeper from vertical position to horizontal position and for sliding said a housing on one end of said casing, a gate within said housing movable across the highway, a vertical housing on the other end of said casing at the other side of the high,- way, a keeper pivoted to the upper end of said second named housing, means for mov` ing said keeper from vertical position to horizontal position and for sliding said gate across the highway into engagement with said keeper, said means comprising a vertical shaft journaled in said second named housing, connections between the upper end of said shaft and said keeper, a mutilated gear journaled in the lower end of said second named housing, a connection between the lower end o-f said vertical shaft and said mutilated gear, a rack bar for operating said mutilated gear to raise and lower said keeper, said rack bar being connected to said gate, a motor and driving connections between said inotor and gate for sliding the latter to closed and open positions.

3. In a railway crossing gate, a casing eX- tending across the highway and embedded in the latter parallel with the railway tracks, a housing on one end of said casing, a gate within said housing movable across the highway, a vertical housing on the other end of said casing at the other side of the highway, a keeper pivoted to the upper end o-f said second named position, and means for moving said keeper from vertical position to horizontal position and for sliding said gate across the highway into engagement with said keeper, and mechanical connections between said gate and said reversing switch whereby said reversing switch may be operated to the proper position upon the closing of the correspondin circuit closer.

In testimony whereof I ax my signature.

HARVEY MCNISH. 

